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Willa Lane

Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge · Welfare

Willa Lane is a cognitive scientist and animal welfare researcher at the University of Cambridge, working in comparative cognition and the philosophy of animal and artificial minds.

In research published in 2026 (co-authored with Nicola Clayton), Lane formulated the “Dimensional Welfare” framework. Challenging traditional one-dimensional sentience models that focus exclusively on physical pain and distress, Lane establishes a multi-axis evaluation methodology encompassing valenced emotional states, agency frustration, temporal anticipation, and curiosity.

Lane’s multidimensional sentience paradigm provides critical ethical standards for artificial intelligence, establishing rigorous criteria to determine when complex autonomous systems require moral consideration and legal protections.

Known for. Dimensional welfare assessment frameworks, comparative sentience beyond pain, animal and AI welfare ethics (2026, with Nicola Clayton)

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Every researcher covered on this site is indexed in the directory of consciousness researchers, grouped by the position their published work defends. The positions themselves are set out in the index of consciousness theories.